"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Construction to Begin This Month

"Cherokee Nation workers pick up litter on a roadway near the Cherokee Nation landfill. Construction will begin soon on a new cell, which will allow the landfill to reopen for the residents of Adair County."

STILWELL, Oklahoma - Construction is slated to begin this month on a new cell at the Cherokee Nation’s Adair County landfill, paving the way for the landfill to reopen early next year. The new cell is expected to provide environmentally friendly waste disposal for residents of Adair County for approximately 20 years.

“When the landfill was not accepting waste from the local community, people still had to have a place to put their trash and that led to a lot more roadside dumping,” said Brad Carson, President and CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses. “We’re proud to be able to offer the community a safe, environmentally friendly landfill as a service to the community.”

The Cherokee Nation reassumed day-to-day operations of the landfill from an independent management company several months ago. In that time, Cherokee Nation has conducted rigorous tests of soil and water near the landfill, upholding the most stringent standards and recommendations of the Environmental Protection Agency. In March, operations transferred to Cherokee Nation Businesses, a wholly-owned company of the Cherokee Nation. CNB has pledged millions of dollars to implement a landfill site plan that has been in place for several years, but was not fully developed under the previous landfill operator.

The lining of the new cell will consist of several layers of natural and synthetic materials, safely insulating the waste from the ground in which the cell will be built. Once the new cell is complete in early 2009, the landfill will reopen to Adair county individuals and municipalities in the surrounding area. Reopening the landfill will likely reduce illegal dumping, keeping Adair County cleaner and helping protect natural resources such as groundwater and pasture lands.

“The Cherokee Nation has worked diligently over the last several months to reopen the landfill, which helps fulfill a basic human need for Adair County citizens- sanitary waste disposal,” said Brad Carson, CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses. “At the same time, we made sure due diligence was followed in the process of reopening the landfill. Our top priority is the safety and health of those living near the landfill in Adair County.”

In recent months, CNB and the Cherokee Nation’s Office of Environmental Protection have worked together to improve the area around the landfill. When the landfill was closed, the area saw an increase in illegal garbage dumping, which prompted employees of both CNB and the OEP to take action and help clean up along the roadway this summer. Employees of both organizations picked up trash along local roadways, filling 50 garbage bags with litter.

“Seeing our employees and the employees from the Office of Environmental Protection take the initiative to make things better in the community has been truly inspiring,” Carson said. “My family is from Adair County, so I know what that area means to people. It’s great to see everyone pull together and help the community.”

While the new cell is being constructed, access to the area will be tightly restricted for the safety and well being of those in the area.